theamazingjosh

Ally and me
Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Colorado Springs
November 15, 2009

It snowed here all weekend, so when the sun came out this afternoon, Mike and I hurried to Red Rock Canyon with the dog. The frosty blue sky and snow-capped evergreens were as beautiful as we'd hoped. Ally was even happier than usual, because it was her first snowy walk of the season. She makes me smile.

( More photos of today's snow )

Well Portland, you put on a good comic book convention. Sure I'd like to see more girls dressed up in super hero costumes, but you take what you can get right? Anyhow I enjoyed today's con and I appreciate that I only smelled a few people who didn't shower.

For the last few months I've been looking for comic book creators (artists, writers, inkers, colorists, editors, editors - whatevers) and I've even had some success! If anybody is interested in getting together with a bunch of creators on a somewhat (monthly?) regular basis please let me know - here or at dalewoodruff AT gmail dot com. (<--- does that really work?)

Even after several years of being together, my husband has not yet figured out when I've crossed that threshold of frustration to wanting to tear my hair out and scream or sob hysterically. (For those of you new to my list, I swear I am a very even-tempered girl, despite how erratic and medicinally-needed my past few post seem to be). We have been on the go for days and I literally had to ask him to help me last night before I either went into meltdown or lashed out. He had not packed a single box up until that point. Not a single box. We are moving a whole friggin' house ya'll. Today, after dragging myself up from a nap (I collapsed on the bed and slept for three hours--we moved 85% of the house today), I dissolved into tears because I could not get a reasonable quote for moving labor for the larger, remaining pieces. Somedays I just want him to be more intuitive, either that or I need to figure out how to say, "I need you to help me," much sooner than I do.

Our new neighbors seem super nice. We had been there less than ten minutes this morning before our across the street neighbors were bringing over welcome-to-your-new-house muffins. The husband even helped us to negotiate our oversized couch through the front door. And the teacher beside us, when she saw us struggling with a large chest of drawers, offered to help too. So far, feeling really good about our little subdivision.

Any diabetics out there: I am consistently around 100 fasting with my sugar. When I crashed this afternoon, it was about an hour or so after we'd eaten. My sugar was registering at barely 100 by then. Am I to assume that it had peaked and was at 70 or 80 prior to that? I'm trying to determine--aside from girly stuff--a reason for the crazy fatigue.

Hey, D-Peeps. My lovely significant other, sistermaryeris, is doing a food drive for three SE 122nd area elementary schools. We're looking for places to put food drop-boxes that are either in the vicinity of the 122nd/Division/Powell/Holgate area, or locations that are just likely to have nice people drop off non-perishable foods.

The schools, Mill Park, Menlo Park, and Gilbert Heights, all have around 80% of their kids qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. At Gilbert Heights, Sandi's after-school kids also get free dinners on some nights. During extended breaks, they're not able to access these resources, so we'd like to stock up their cupboards a bit.

We realize, of course, that for many of us it's hard enough just putting food on our own table. But if you can help by taking a food box, if you work somewhere that might want to donate food or dollars, or if you just want to help in some way, please let us know in comments.

The drive runs from now until December 4. Thanks!

I found a very cute, small Siamese kitty in my backyard a few months ago. I thought he was the neighbors but after talking with a few people on the block, it turns out he is an abandoned stray--probably abandoned by a certain person who lived in one of the houses that got foreclosed on here. So I have started feeding it, and the cat is very affectionate--let me pet him/her immediately, likes to sit in my lap, etc. This cat is very sweet and would make a great pet, but alas, cannot keep it because of my mean cat who would not be so nice to another kitty in the house.

First of all, where could I take this cat to see if it is neutered and to check for a microchip just in case I'm wrong about who the previous owner is? Is there anywhere that would do that for free? I actually would pay if I had to though.

And the inevitable question... does anyone want an awesome cat? If I could find the right home for this guy (I won't be charging a fee as that feels weird, but I would want to check up on the person and home it would go to) I will pay for it to be fixed if it isn't, and I'll get a vet visit taken care of as well. I can also give you a cat carrier. I would like to see the cat go to an indoor-only home.

I have a picture of the cat that can be sent through email.

[snerk]

But Chavez is the one whose really got it going on.

Hey DPers,

The last Thursday of this month happens to be Thanksgiving (Ah'doy), but is it also "Last Thursday" (Alberta artsy stuff) as well?

Has anyone found that SAD lights help their seasonal mood changes?

i'm working on my first fall/winter season in portland, and the apartment i'm in has some intense window condensation going on. i've never had this issue before living in other places (southwest & east coast), even in places with older windows in older buildings (like the one i'm in now).

sooooo, is it something to worry about? it obviously makes it hard to see out, but oh well on that front. i just don't want to be accepting this as a wet wintery fact when it could in fact be a bad thing, leading to mildew and mold growth, damaging the windows, killing puppies, etc.

For some reason, I thought a lot of you would like this...apologies if I'm wrong

Wise DP, I've got a rather large-ish dog, 100lbs and we really need a dog door for her this winter that won't be as drafty as just cutting a hole cut in the door like we have now. Any recommendation for or against? I've been shopping around petsmart/petco/target and can't seem to find answers about the drafty problem.

Or even any DIY solutions? I've mostly just nailed a flap of plastic on the hole, it's not cutting down on the draft at all. I wonder if heavy fabric would insulate enough.

I'm on a tight budget so I would rather not drop $190 on a dog door unless that is my only solution and it's well made enough to keep out drafts and not break when Fangbeast the Unholy comes barreling through it.

The Blockbuster that is on Murray and Allen is closing and everything is for sale. I imagine some stuff will go down in price at a later time but there are some movies for $3.99 and some even for $1.99.
I also saw that the fixtures (tables, shelves, etc) are for sale also.

Just a shoutout to you bar-hoppers visiting my neighborhood. I know it's fun being downtown and all, and you want to have a fun, cuh-razy night. I want you to have a good time, too, even though we might have different ideas on the matter. But I've been living down here for a couple years now and noticed a few things, so please consider a few universal tips from me to you.

Consider a different outing if:
• you don't have a designated driver
• your 21st birthday party involves a "party bus" you and your 15 friends cannot pay for (oh my GOD)
• you and your girlfriend are about to break up
• you or your friends are emotionally volatile, angry, or violent after a few drinks
• you like to spontaneously scream, howl, etc. up and down a street where people live
• you are quick to get into arguments and physical fights

Honestly, at this point, I'm really tired of waking up at 12, 2, and 4 a.m. with the police on speed-dial, trying to discern if you're either having a good time or about to kill someone. I also think it's sad that a legitimately concerned neighbor is expected to either not live downtown, or just become jaded. (See Kitty Genovese.) At this point, however, I need my fucking sleep, so I'm taking tranquilizers and leaving the rest up to you. Please take responsibility for your alcohol consumption and other choices – because if you are actually screaming because you've been stabbed, etc., you and your peers have cried wolf too many times, and I'm too exhausted to actually do anything about it.

And if you are downtown, or anywhere, and you see something going down, just call 911. Please. Even if you're downtown, that's not "normal" or acceptable. We appreciate it.

Love,
Your Friend on West Burnside

I found this site a while back and find it has a wide array of content (and yes I realise it is yahoo and it is mainstream, I search DP for the other stuff :) :

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/search/?loc=Portland%2C+OR&quick_date=next_30_days&sort=r

reposting a message from In Defense of Animals:

“Join IDA on Fur Free Friday, November 27th, the day after Thanksgiving, for a march in downtown Portland past all the locations that continue to sell fur. This peaceful, family-friendly march has historically been the largest annual animal rights demonstration in the area, where activists take over the streets of downtown to share a message of compassion about fur-bearing animals.

What: Fur Free Friday March
When: Friday, November, 27; meet at 11 a.m. (march leaves at 11:30 a.m.)
Where: Corner of SW Yamhill and Broadway (in front of Nordstroms)

This year more than ever, we need your help to make it a success. The city of Portland has changed their policy on police-escorted street closures for free speech events, and we must have at least 200 participants this year in order to do our traditional march in the street. If we can’t get 200 people out for Fur Free Friday, our march will have to proceed on the sidewalks, which may complicate the event and compromise our impact.

For at least the past decade the Portland animal rights community has taken over the streets of downtown Portland to raise our voices in unison with activists all over the country and world on Fur Free Friday. Please, do everything you can to join us and spread the word to get more people involved. We need to rally at least 200 people to make this year’s street march happen. Signs, banners and literature will be provided, just bring people! If you have any questions or to confirm your attendance, contact matt@idausa.org."

it came on like a fever, and, before i knew it, i was taping baseboards and window ledges. my dining room is now purple--same shade as my art room/office and the bedroom--which was effectively a "free fix" to what was troubling me. and that room was depressing me: i found myself eating nearly every meal hovering over a kitchen counter-surface. we had dinner guests over last week, and, as the four of us sat there, i realized that i hated that room in all its starkness: white walls, sloppy paint job (previous owner), awkward use of space, abundance of windows. even with a new light fixture (chandelier), i never liked sitting in there.

initially, i had fantasized about going in a different direction in that space, but textured walls and difficult angles had me daunted. i've wallpapered before, and it ain't fun. i held onto the possibility of stubbornly doing it anyway, some winter weekend where i didn't want to go anywhere. but the more i thought about it (the expense, the risk of doing a bad job and my eyes always finding the imperfections), the more it seemed unlikely.

but now, i've just eaten breakfast in a room i can live with. because lesson 1 is: there's no such thing as too much purple. and lesson 2, i suppose, is: it doesn't always have to be perfect to be good.

I'll be launching a new free magazine for PDX in the Spring of 2010. It's food oriented served with a side of snark. The two names are being juggled around; Schmear and Tangy. What are your thoughts?